It is known to use containers for packaging and transporting bakery goods. In packaging, for example, a lemon meringue pie, the pie and associated pie tin are packaged in a container for storage and shipping. Because existing containers do not stabilize the pie tin, the lemon meringue pie may be tossed upward within its container during shipping, causing the meringue to contact a lid of the container. As a result, the appearance and quality of the pie may become damaged.
Another problem of such containers concerns vulnerability of the pie tin to deformations, should the container bump external objects. If the bottom of the pie tin rests directly on the floor of the shipping container, then the bottom of the tin can be deformed when struck, via the floor of the container, by an external object. Similarly, the side walls of the pie tin are vulnerable to this type of damage if disposed in direct contact with associated walls of the container.
In the past, containers have included bottom and top portions hinged together by an interconnecting hinge member. In folding the top portion over the bottom portion, the hinged member may not fold predictably. As a result, the top portion may become misaligned with respect to the bottom portion during packaging.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a way to house and transport pies and the like that avoids the structural and functional disadvantages associated with conventional pie tin containers.